Folder for sewing machines



1. E. CHALMAN. FOLDER FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED'SEPT. 18. 1918.

l ,422, 1 7 6. Patented July 11, 1922,

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. CHALMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNION SPECIAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FOLDER FORSEWING MACHINES.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN E. CHALMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folders for Sewing Machines, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvement in folders for sewing machines,

and more particularly to a folder for folding a narrow strip for forming belt loops or the like.

In the patent to Otto A. Hinderer, granted April 13, 1915, No. 1,135,691, there is shown and described a folder for sewing machines of the above type, in which the folder is formed with side walls which are spaced throughout a part of their length, so that the operator may direct and feed a strip of material into the folder. In this Hinderer folder the side walls, adjacent the delivery end therof, are brought nearly together. It is found in practice that the strip of material when being fed into the folder is liable to bend centrally thereof, and strike the parts of the side wall which overlie the folding tongue, thus preventing the strip from properly entering the folder. This has been avoided to a certain extent by cutting the corners from the strip of material which is fed into the folder, so as to prevent buckling of the strip until it is well into the folder. 7

An object of the present invention is to provide a folder wherein the side walls are joined adjacent the delivery end of the folder and are arched or raised at the part thereof adjacent the spaced sections of the side walls, so as to form a clearance space to permit the strip to enter even if buckled centrally thereof and without requiring the cutting of the entering corners of the strip.

A further object of the invention is to provide a folder of the above character wherein the arched section carries a bendable portion on its inner surface for guiding and directing the central portion of the strip if the same becomes buckled or bent.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully described.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 18, 1918.

Patented July 11, 1922.

Serial No. 254,608. 7

In the drawings which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention Figure 1. is a view in side elevation showing parts of a sewing machine with my im' proved folder applied thereto; F igure 2 is a plan view of the folder; Figure 3 is an end view of the folder; Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line et-t of Figure 2; i

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the needles and looper; and V 7 Figure 6 is a detail showing diagrammatically a belt loop folded and stitched on my improved machine.

The invention resides in a folder which is shown as applied to a sewing machine hav ing a cloth plate 1 on which the material is held by a presser foot 2 while it is being stitched. The presser foot is carried by a presser bar 3. Any suitable feeding mechanism may be used such. as a feed dog 3 The stitching mechanism includes a needle bar 4, having two spaced needles 55. These needles carry needle threads 'Ik-n, as indicated in Figure 6 of the drawings. Cooperating with the needles beneath the work support is any suitable complemental stitch forming mechanism, but I prefer to use a single looper L carrying a looper thread Z. This looper thread joins the needle threads and covers the meeting edges of the fabric strip forming the belt loop. The belt loop is indicated at S in the drawings and the meeting edges at s. The presser foot is vsuitably formed so as to receive and guide folder has a base 6. from which rise side walls 77. Mounted on the base at the receivingend of the folder is a flexible tongue .8. This flexible tongue is tapered. as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2 of the drawings. Adjacent the delivery end of the foldor there is a rib 9, which may be formed integral with the base 6. This rib 9 serves as a support for the free end of the flexible tongue 8. The side walls 77 curve over the top of the tongue, but they are separated from each other forming a space, indicated at 10 in the drawings, which extends throughout a considerable portion of the length of the folding tongue. The side walls throughout the portion, indicated at 11, are joined and these side .walls at the ortion indicated at 12, are raisedor arched. This section of the folder is adjacent the spaced edges of the side walls. Carried on the inner face of the arched section, indicated at 12, is a bendable lip 13, which'is capable of being raised or lowered by bending the metal thereof. The strip to be folded is placed on "the folding tongue 8 at the receiving end of the folder. The operator placing her linger on the strip slides the same along the tongue 8, thefinger of the operator passing along the space 10' between the edges of the side walls 7- 7. If the entry end of the strip, owing to any frictional drag on the advance corners thereof, should bend or buckle centrally thereof,

- this bent portion will pass through the clearto engage any bent or buckled portion of the strip and prevent the strip from readily entering the folder. By my improved folder, wherein the side walls are joined and a clearance space is formed for any bending in the material, all liability of clogging the strip or preventing, its free entrance into the folder is avoided.

The folder F is carried by a shank 14;, having openings 15 formed therein through which suitable screws pass for clamping the folder to the cloth plate 1.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as, new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A folder for folding the edges of a "strip underneath the body portion of the strip so that said edges will substantially meet centrally of the foldedstrip, said folder comprising a base, a tongue around which the strip is folded carried by said base and spaced therefrom, sidewalls projecting upwardly from said base, said side walls being extended-over the tongue and spaced frorneach other for a portion of the i length of the tongue to permit the operators finger to slide along the tongue for inserting the strip in the folder, said side walls being joined for a portion of the length of the tongue and adjacent the delivery end of the folder, said joined side walls adjacent the spaced edges of the side walls'being arched or raised to form a clearance space for the central portion'of the strip as it is inserted into the folder. 7

2. A folder for folding the edges of a strip underneath the body portion ofthe strip so that said edges will substantially meet centrally ofthe folded strip, said folder'comprising a base a tongue around which the strip is folded carried by said base and'spacedtherefrom, side walls projecting upwardly from said base, said side walls being extended over the tongue and spaced from each other for a portion of the length of the tongue to permit the operators finger to slide along the tongue for inserting the strip in the folder, said side Walls being joined for a portion of the length of the tongue and adjacent the delivery end of the folder, sa d joined side walls adjacent the spaced edges of the side walls being arched or raised to form a clearance space for the central portion ofthe strip as it is inserted into the folder, said arched portion having a bendable lip secured to the inner face thereof for guiding the strip, I

3. A folder for: sewing machines comprising a base, a member around which an edge of fabric is folded, said folder having side wells projecting upwardly from the base and extending over saidlmember, said side walls being spacedfrom each other for a portion of the length of the member to permit the,

operators fingers to slide along said member for inserting the strip in the folder, said side walls being joined at'the inner end of the space between the side walls by an arched or raised port oii forming aclearance space and stop for the fingers of the operator, said arched or raised portion havinga guiding lip secured to; the inner face thereof for a ding 111 guiding the strip.

In testimony whereof, I ans my signature, in the presence of two witnesses. p

I JOHN GHA MANI Witnesses? i i S. GEORGE'TATE,' Romain" TAUBE T. 

